Ideas of evolution
and tradition commingle in a new show at the American Indian Museum
in New York City
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Manifestipi
(installation details) 2016 by ITWÉ Collective (Courtesy
of ITWÉ and Collection Majudia. Photo: Joshua Voda/NMAI)
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Sometimes a symbol can be so familiar that even out of contextdifferent
surroundings, different colors and very different materialsit
remains immediately recognizable. That's the case of the five neon-colored
tipis that anchor the exhibition "Manifestipi,"
currently on view at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American
Indian's George Gustav
Heye Center in New York City. Created by ITWÉ Collective,
a trio of artists based in Winnipeg and Montreal, Canada, the eight-foot-tall
structures made of frosted plexiglass look nothing like what we
think of as a traditional tipi, but are unmistakably that.
"You see the tipi, you immediately recognize itbut the
artists are doing something very unconventional with the form,"
says Kathleen Ash-Milby, associate curator of the National Museum
of the American Indian. "These are plexiglass, the colors are constantly
shifting, it's not a traditional palette you might normally associate
with Native people."
The tension between tradition and change is evoked in the exhibition's
multimedia elements: A shifting soundscape (created by audio artist
and musician Michel Germain, who collaborated with ITWÉ on
this work) fills the room. On the wall, historic images and illustrations
of indigenous people (sourced from the Saint-Boniface
archives in Manitoba) are played in a continuous loop with bright
streaks and patches of color added by the artists. The colors of
the tipis drift from pink to blue to orange and back.
"We have been evolving tremendously, and the tipi still remains
a powerful symbol of our culture," explains artist Caroline Monnet
(Algonquin/French), a multimedia artist based in Montreal and a
member of the ITWÉ triothe others are Kevin Lee Burton
(Swampy Cree) and Sébastien Aubin (Cree/Metis). "However,
we cannot put all indigenous people in the same bag. . .We are challenging
the tipi as a stereotypical symbol of our culture and therefore
making it fun and accessible to all."
The title immediately brings to mind the 19th century doctrine
known as "Manifest Destiny," that invested white U.S. settlers with
the justification to occupy and annex Native American lands throughout
North America. But ITWÉ aims to reframe the idea of "manifestation"
into something empowering for indigenous people.
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Left
to right: Sébastien Aubin (Cree/Metis), Caroline Monnet
(Algonquin/French), Kevin Lee Burton (Swampy Cree) (Eric Cnq-Mars)
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"Like, 'manifest something' or reignite somethingto manifest
your own reality," says Burton. "To try not to get caught up in
a downward spiral or wallow in self-hatred. We're engaging in conversation
from a different angle, trying to step toward another future: What
is inside your heart, celebrating your culture, yourself, your identity
your nation, your historyand making a present tense."
Adds Monnet: "Manifestipi was created with the aim of
opening up dialogue, taking up space as indigenous people but also
inviting other nations to be part of our manifestation."
The artists laid out the work in a circle, like a gathering
place. Its location is in the lower level of the museum, where the
institution traditionally brings groups for education, symposia
or performances. A circle is painted onto the room's floor and evokes
the sense of open dialogue that the artists hope will take place
here.
This also reflects the democratic approach that ITWÉ
has developed for all its projects since it was formed in 2010with
each member empowered to speak their mind and to share ideas. The
three members each come from a different background with distinct
artistic interests, together creating an aesthetic distinct from
their individual work.
"Kevin has a strong background in filmmaking, new media and
community work, Sébastien is coming from his graphic design
perspective and I bring some experience in visual arts and filmmaking,"
says Monnet. "Together, we weave our respective interests, expertise
and cultural background to create new works."
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Manifestipi
(installation details) 2016 by ITWÉ Collective (Courtesy
of ITWÉ and Collection Majudia. Photo: Joshua Voda/NMAI)
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The work is itself an evolution of form and materials. ITWÉ
created the original Manifestipi in 2013 as an outdoor work
set on The Forks in Winnipeg
(the historic gathering place where the Red River and Assiniboine
River meet), commissioned by ARTV out of Quebec for a TV special
focused on the collective.
Adjacent to the newly built Museum of Human Rights, the work
broadcast the archival video onto trees, with dry ice used to create
the impression of a fire burning inside a tipi. Constructed of metal
poles, wires and rope, it was "absolutely less refined than the
work we have now [at the museum]," explains Burton, who is based
in Winnipeg.
In this first iteration, the collective created its own encampment
by using materials sourced in the urban surroundings, effectively
"creating our contemporary version of a tipi as urban indigenous,"
as Monnet puts it. "We wanted to take back territories and space.
We wanted to occupy space and grounds."
Burton adds that in this work, the collective sought to make
a comment on occupied spacereimagining The Forks as if it
were still the home of indigenous people.
"We couldn't just go and chop down trees," he explains, "but
we sourced the wiring and metal rods for the tipis from local sellers,
enacting that process of gathering local materials with everyone
having a hand in building it."
After its exhibition at The Forks, Manifestipi went on
to be shown at three different galleries throughout Canada, evolving
as it wentthe design became more refined, the number of tipis
expanded from one to five, and in 2016 ITWÉ worked with engineers
to professionally manufacture the current versions of the neon-colored
structures in part to make the work more transportable ("like piecing
together Lego parts" as Burton puts it). The importance placed on
making the work easy to move was not just about convenience, but
emphasized the theme of the nomadic lifestyle of those who had to
migrate over the seasons.
"It's meant to be a conversation startermeant to attract
people but bring them together for conversations," says Ash-Milby.
She adds that it aims to help viewers rethink what is meant by "tradition"
to begin with. Rather than as something that's static or in the
past, "tradition is really about things being in motion and changing."
"Manifestipi" is on view through March 25, 2018 at the George
Gustav Heye Center, the National Museum of the American Indian in
New York City.
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Manifestipi
(installation details) 2016 by ITWÉ Collective (Courtesy
of ITWÉ and Collection Majudia. Photo: Joshua Voda/NMAI)
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